on the 5th day...

Number 1 son makes brownies to take over

to Andrew and Shannon's! Hope

they will like them!

we went to church. then came home and watched... 24!!! {While we waited for lunch to cook.} afterwards we TRIED to hit the pool but the weather would not cooperate. so instead we went to a friends house to wait it out. it NEVER let up!! so we just stayed and visited and i think i have found the paint color for the house SW Latte... anyhooo, afterwards we came home made pasta salad and brownies then headed over to our friend's house {who just moved here} for a cookout! burgers and hot dogs, YUM!!! afterwards we took them on a tour of our club {yes, they need to join} and then picked up Number 1 son's friend to come hang out for the night. and guess what they are doing?? Yep, 24!!! Don't ask me about any current TV show, I couldn't tell you. but i can tell you ALL about Jack Bauer!!

Tomorrow is Memorial Day... remembering the sacrifices these men and women have made for us!

Days 3 and 4...

... We've been out the door, Baseball Park, GNO, and a Cookout!!

Friday: boys returned home from a FUN night with the Grandparents and Beach cousins. Then it was a little rest before swim practice and a Baseball game. I had to get ready for my GNO to go see the new Sex and the City movie... {Have you seen it? What did YOU think?} It was a BIG night out, celebrating my friend Emily's b'day which we did in style... limo cosmos and great clothes... Em's dress was made and designed by HER!! I snagged my pink dress from TJMAXX and the other gals looked FABULOUS as well. We enjoyed dinner at STIX {where I bumped into some other friends....} then the movie. Afterwards we headed out to a little local establishment for some post movie cocktails which then involved a trip to the Waffle House.

Saturday: I slept in from my late night. Number 1 of course had swim practice and Number 2 and McSweetie have been working in the yard. We are going to a cookout tonight and I told our hostess I would bring a homemade {handpicked} blackberry cobbler. Unfortunately, i bumped into some wasp's house and he didn't like that so much.....OUCH!!!!

So I have just enough blackberries for one cobbler... So onto one of my summer to dos... Try a New RECIPE so I am going to make a Chocolate Cobbler as well. Off to the store for my groceries.

Have a wonderful weekend! {Will update later with pics}

Day 2 of Summer... It can't be ALL fun!!

The NEWEST member of the Family...

Introducing Charly!

Wish she was staying at our house...
She and Annie would have a ball!

Number 2 Greets her as she comes in!

Taking care of business...

Must email Band Teacher to

get summer book!

Practicing for Symphonic band and hopefully

will make Jazz band next year!

Number 1 in charge of fixing the electrical

wire so I can vaccuum. {house showing tomorrow}

So summer CAN be fun after we get our work done!! And work we all did this am. Even Number 2 was CHEERFULLY cleaning the kitchen!! The ENTIRE kitchen! YAY!! The house has been a complete disaster. Thankfully we have had none call to show until this am. {And we were already in cleaning mode...} thankfully they are showing tomorrow around noonish! WHEW!! I was saved on that one!

The boys were picked up by their Gran and are headed out for a slumber party with the Beach cousins!! They should have a BIG time ESPECIALLY with the newest member to the family... Charly!! I think she is adorable!! And I think ANNIE needs a friend....

Day 1 of Summer FUN... {updated with more pics}

Yolo and Red boarding...

Birthday gift ;o)

Music lover!

Our favorite past time..

watching 24!

My 7th grader and Freshman!!

begins with sleeping in!!! number 2 son had a LONG night at the ballpark. tournament play and our game lasted almost 3 hours... BUT we WON!!! afterwards he spent the night with a friend. so number 1 son and I watched.... yep, 24. So today we had plans for the beach but ended up with a later start so we headed to the pool with my Birthday Friend and her boys. it wasn't the best pool day but we made the most of it!! the boys had fun on the YOLO boards. jackson asked what about the red ones... LOL!!! WE tried to stay dry while it rained. after lunch it finally cleared and we enjoyed a little fun in the SUN!!! now it's back to business, Number 1 is off at swim practice.

Number 2 and I are watching 24. after THIS episode we promise we are going to go do something productive.

getting ready for our BIG girls night out to celebrate my BIRTHDAY girl!! won't give away all the details... but it is going to be BIG!!!!!

What do you plan to do this summer??

• try a new recipe every week
• exercise every day
• make homemade ice cream
• trips to the pool
• dust off my tennis racquet
• beach
• family vacation {maybe back to the mountains}
• repaint the entire interior of the house {dining and kitchen excluded}
• scrapbook
• organize the closet {i know, I did this last year but McSweetie REALLY wants to build some built-ins... I should let him!!}
• movies...
• plan a luncheon at the house for my friends
• canoe trip
• shoot fireworks

That is a good start.. any other good ideas out there??

Tomorrow is the first Day of Summer Vacation... what shall we do??? I hear the surf calling....

Good Ol' Summertime... It's almost here!!

Can't believe that as of tomorrow I will have a Freshman in HS and a 7th grader. WOW!! They have had a wonderful year. I was a little stressed about Number 1 son's final in Algebra 1. He had done well all year but he needed to pass the cumulative final with a 70% to have credit for his 9th grade math. His Algebra teacher messaged me on FB on Friday after he had taken the test that he had aced it with a 98%!!! WOW!! So right now he has a 4.0 GPA!! Not too bad for an 8th grader!

Now Number 2 son had some serious catching up to do for his math grade for the quarter. He had an 80% but managed to pull it up to a 95%. And this was the quarter with fewer tests due to standardized testing. WAY TO GO!!! All A's for him this year!!

We began our summer vacation a little early with a trip to the local water park! The swim team swims against the lazy river. Number 1 son swam 6 times around in a 3.0 current.. 40.19. Afterwards we spent THE ENTIRE DAY at the park! WE had a great family day! Then we had dinner with McSweetie's parents. All my favorites... fried okra, chicken, dirty rice and McSweetie's blueberry surprise for dessert. When we got home we all CRASHED!!! We would have given just about anything to have slept in today. But after making the last of the lunches for the year we were out the door! {oh and getting rid of a little ant problem, UGH!!}

I went to my school to inventory my PE and Art closets. When I turn all that in, I am OFFICIALLY on summer vacation!

How many days of Summer fun do we have???

The list has been plenty long... but tomorrow it will be Done {for me that is}

FIELD DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The most wonderful time of the year!! It is all lined up... parents organized, check!! Activities planned, check!! Waterslide to be delivered, check!! Ice cream truck confirmed, check!! 6th grade teacher volleyball game, check!! Snacks, Check!! Teacher schedule of activities, check!!! I think that about covers it!!

Now I even had time left over afterwards to go even out the ol' PE suntan!! {My feet are pretty white!!}

I am now in cooking mode Sourdough bread in the oven even as I am typing! Baseball game tonight. Dropped number 1 son at Swim practice... done laundry and I haven't even been up and at 'em for 12 hours!! ALOT can get done when you put your mind to it!!

It's bittersweet the ending of the school year! But I am VERY READY for summer relaxation... so come on NOON tomorrow and I am a FREE GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW...

only 4 days left of school for me and 6 for the boys!! What a wonderful year we have all had! It has seen some major changes but I am excited about it all!!

One of Number 1 son's good friends graduated last night. He and a bunch of swimming friends went to the ceremony. After spending the day RAINY HORRIBLY RAINY day at a swim meet. They all made it home to change and dress for the ceremony. In just 4 short years that will be him!! WHOA!!! TIME SLOW DOWN!!

Summer is the light at the end of the tunnel... and we plan to enjoy our summer to the fullest!! Lots of swimming both for fun and for LC Season!! Excited to see the new SEX AND THE CITY movie!! That will be a most fun Girls Night Out!! New friend moving to town! Traveling to new places and maybe another trip to the mountains!! Possibly a little white water rafting... and just some good ol' friend and family time!!

Come on summer... we are looking forward to your arrival!! Ready to get "Carried" away!!

Downhill Stretch

FUN with DAD!!

Fun in the SUN!!

My guys!!

I LOVE being their MOM!!

McSweetie with his Mom

I now know why Mother's Day is celebrated in May.. it's to get us "remotivated" to make it through the last few weeks of school without maiming a child!! And so that they too make it the last few days of school. We have all just been so busy between the usual stuff and all the end of the year stuff that needs to be done... For me that is organizing Field Day and the 8th grade Honors "banquet". I say Banquet but it is really a little social after they are given their awards on the last day of school. They have pizza and cake then they are FRESHMAN!! WOW!! Let me just wrap my brain around that one!! Number 1 is about to start his High School career!! How did it get here so FAST?!?!?!?

But back to Mother's Day... it was just about the most perfect day {perfect would be if my Mom had been here as well!!} started the day with early church and meeting afterwards. Then it was home, threw on the swimsuits and headed out the door for some lunch and sun poolside!! It was VERY BUSY at the Hotel pool... forgot about the Mother's Day Brunch. So we headed to the other pool and it was busy but not so CRAZY!! We ordered lunch and I ordered a MUDSLIDE { a little detour from the ol' healthy eating but hey, It was mother's day after all!!} Then Number 2 son and McSweetie got out on the paddle surfboard thingies... it was fun to watch... hate i missed seeing McSweetie fall in the lake... but he was a good sport about it all!! Then I had put a tenderloin in the crock pot for bbq potatoes for dinner. We had some friends from church come over for dinner... and it was a nice relaxing way to end our Mother's Day!!











Now back to the downhill stretch of the school year... about to find someone who will deliver 90 pizzas at 8:45am... cake to be ordered, jumpy thing to be reserved... and the list goes on but once it is all checked off... SUMMER VACATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mother's Day Gift...

from me to you! Hope you have the best day ever!

"M" is for the million things she gave me,
"O" means only that she's growing old,

"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,

"H" is for her heart of purest gold;

"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,

"R" means right, and right she'll always be,

Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"

A word that means the world to me.-

Howard Johnson

Vacation Day...

I have the day off tomorrow so I am taking full advantage!! Yay ME!! And my friend{s} that are joining me! Wahooooo!!

Facebook...

I am certain that most of you who read this have a FB page. If not, what are you waiting for??!! {just kidding, more power to you!! It's addicting!} I have to laugh at the "what's on your mind?" prompt for your status... like today, do you REALLY want to know what is on my mind...??

I submit you do not!! Just sayin' ;o)

Homework gets an A+

I love the new color in my kitchen! And I love even more that McSweetie and Number 2 son finished for me!! {Of course I needed to purchase another gallon so Number 1 son went with me to do that} It's all put back together and fresh and new!! Rearranged some things {pictures}, took out the rug and brought in a new one {not new to me just new to the location} So this little redo cost $63!! The price of 2 gallons of paint!! Although Tuesday Morning has some cute little topiaries I would like for the counter... may have to go and check that out today on my lunch break.

Made a "little" detour on my eating plan this weekend so it's a little cleansing going on this week... made my "sassy" water last night and eating my puff cereal and sunflower seeds this am. Now mind you it wasn't a huge detour but I did eat a few more chips at the Mexican restaurant than my usual 7 and on Saturday night I ate 3 slices of digiorno pizza and a cookie {and had to taste the cookie dough} then Sunday I had a little "fruity" drink while sitting by the pool with my McSweetie...

He remembered that it was 23 years ago on Saturday that we had our first date!! So he gave me a new charm for my Pandora bracelet!! A cute little picnic basket with bottle of wine and bread in it.. too cute and COMPLETELY unexpected!!

House is ready for a realtor Open House on Wednesday... I know, it's not going to sell in this market... I don't even think we could give it away... but God can do mighty things and if it is HIS will then it will sell. If not, we are happy to stay.

3 more weeks of work... wahoo!! We can do it!!